The S.C. Legislature convened for session this week, renewing calls to fix South Carolina’s dated and uncompetitive tax structure. This focus comes as our northern neighbor passed a significant tax cut last year, with Georgia making a smaller cut, making the Palmetto State’s years of inaction even more baffling. Taxes can be complicated – our problems, however, are not. This report makes three …
Posted: June 9, 2022 by South Carolina Policy Council
SCPC Voter Poll Release (May 31 – Jun 3, 2022)
. . Inflation, gas prices are top concerns for SC voters as lawmakers return to Columbia for special session Inflation and gas prices are among the most pressing concerns for South Carolina voters. Voters also feel positive towards legislative reform efforts focused on taxes, education, elections and transparency. 82% of likely S.C. 2022 general election …
Posted: May 20, 2022 by South Carolina Policy Council
Inflation in SC shows need for bold tax cuts
Record breaking prices are making everyday life harder for Americans, especially for some in South Carolina. Indeed, by some measurements, the Palmetto State (and the South generally) is experiencing higher inflation than the rest of the country. The big picture In the South, overall prices have jumped by 8.8% in the last year (Apr 2021 …
Posted: February 24, 2022 by South Carolina Policy Council
Analysis: SC’s competing tax cut proposals, what to know
After years of justified frustration from taxpayers, state lawmakers have finally decided to address South Carolina’s highest-in-the-Southeast top income tax rate. The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would lower and consolidate the state income tax, while the Senate recently introduced its own income tax proposal that includes a plan to use $1 billion in surplus funds …
Posted: January 13, 2022 by South Carolina Policy Council
Three crucial tax reforms for South Carolina
The S.C. Legislature convened for session this week, renewing calls to fix South Carolina’s dated and uncompetitive tax structure. This focus comes as our northern neighbor passed a significant tax cut last year, with Georgia making a smaller cut, making the Palmetto State’s years of inaction even more baffling. Taxes can be complicated – our problems, however, are not. This report makes three …
Posted: December 5, 2019 by South Carolina Policy Council
Bills to watch in 2020: Part one
It’s nearly the end of the year and South Carolina’s legislative session is rapidly approaching! The first day of session begins on January 14, 2020. Since 2019 was the first half of the two-year session, bills that did not pass this year could still become law next year. Lawmakers filed nearly 2,500 bills and resolutions …
Posted: September 28, 2018 by South Carolina Policy Council
What is Tax Conformity, and What Does It Mean for SC Taxpayers?
UPDATE 10/5/18: The Senate’s version of the tax conformity bill passed both houses this week and was signed by the Governor. Lawmakers left one major question unanswered when they left Columbia earlier this year: How will the South Carolinian’s state income tax be calculated next year? The General Assembly will address this when they …
Posted: June 23, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
Only Three Liquor Stores? A Tale of Regulation
HOW A SIMPLE, WELL-INTENDED REGULATION TURNED INTO A TANGLED MESS Earlier this year, a report at The Nerve detailed an attempt by a few lawmakers to insert a budget proviso into the state budget. This proviso – a one-year budget law – would effectively limit the number of brick-and-mortar liquor stores a person or company …
Posted: May 9, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
The Gas Tax, the Infrastructure Bank, and Lawmakers’ Word Games
• Legislature began diverting fees to Infrastructure Bank in 2005 • Diversion of Funds meant to circumvent state constitution • In 2003 lawmakers changed the name of the gas tax to a ‘fee’ • After credit downgrade, legislature continued to divert funds to STIB (The following provides historical background for this analysis of H.3516, the gas …
Posted: April 24, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
Roads: What Reform Is – and Isn’t
THREE STEPS TO FIXING SOUTH CAROLINA’S ROADS – AND NONE OF THEM INVOLVES RAISING TAXES ON A POOR AND OVERTAXED POPULATION One thing has become increasingly evident in the debate over the gas tax: lawmakers have no real solution to South Carolina’s infrastructure problems. Their only solution is raising taxes. But lawmakers haven’t shown, or even tried to …
Posted: February 17, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
S.C. Is a ‘Low Tax State,’ Right? Wrong.
SOUTH CAROLINA IS A LOW INCOME STATE — SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT South Carolina politicos sometimes claim that ours is a “low tax state” and that it has the “lowest taxes in that nation.” The claim is false. It confuses tax collections with tax rates – that is, total amounts sent to Columbia versus the proportion of …